Disney Cruise Line plans all-new, ‘smaller’ class of cruise ships for 2029 delivery

Disney Cruise Line has ordered a new class of cruise ships for delivery from 2029 onwards, which will be smaller than the current flagship Disney Wish, but larger than its two oldest vessels, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.

The new class of ships, with three planned initially, will be delivered in 2029, 2030, and 2031, with a gross tonnage of 100,000 and a passenger capacity of around 3,000, a thousand less than sister ships Disney Wish and Disney Treasure.

The new orders take Disney Cruise Line’s projected fleet size to 13 ships. The cruise line welcomed its newest ship, Disney Treasure, sailing out of Port Canaveral as the sixth in the fleet last year.

A sister ship in the Wish class, Disney Destiny, will be introduced sailing out of Port Everglades at the end of 2025, while Disney Adventure, its largest vessel, is headed to Singapore before the end of the year.

Disney has also ordered a fourth sister ship in the Wish class, due for delivery in 2029 and planned for deployment in Japan.

All of the on-order ships are to be constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The shipyard has previously constructed the Wish and Dream-class vessels for Disney Cruise Line.

The smaller size for the future class of ships will allow access to more ports than the newer vessels, the cruise line said in a release.

“As we expand our fleet, it is important that we continue to provide a variety of experiences for our guests,” said Thomas Mazloum, President of New Experiences Portfolio & Disney Signature Experiences, which includes Disney Cruise Line. 

“Families enjoy the diversity of vacations we offer, from our classic vessels to our Wish-class ships. They also expect to explore a broad range of destinations, including those that prefer to host smaller ships,” he added.

The new class of ships will be designed to support multiple green fuel options such as hydrotreated vegetable oil, known as HVO, and renewable methanol, which are among options that the cruise industry is looking to switch to in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.

They will be among the lightest for their size in the industry, featuring a streamlined hull, next-generation power and propulsion systems and other energy-efficient efforts such as a battery system. The ships will also have the ability to hook up to shore power at ports that support it, so that they don’t have to burn fuel while in port.

Although the global cruise industry has captured global headlines in recent years with its ever-larger cruise vessels, from the original Oasis-class goliaths of Royal Caribbean, to MSC Cruises’ new World-class vessels and Carnival Corporation’s Excel-class ships, cruise lines have actually been moving toward smaller, more versatile ships.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Prima-class is 140,000 gross tons, smaller than the Breakaway class, while Royal Caribbean recently launched the new Icon-class vessels, the largest ever built, but has indicated that it is also exploring the possibility of launching a new ‘small’ class of ships.